Category: Exercise

A few days ago, I ran the Jerusalem Marathon. As I lined up at the start line, I looked around and noticed the wide variety of runners around me; some were kitted out in compression socks and CamelBaks, and an interpid few wore nothing more than racing singlets and 2-inch split shorts in 52-degree weather. … Continue reading Assorted Thoughts on AirPods

The other day, I left the house and went on an invigorating ten-mile run. I log my runs pretty religiously – usually on MapMyRun, though that day I happened to use Strava – and have kept a close watch on my mileage since I started seriously running in 2013. And so I know with certainty that … Continue reading 4,000 Miles

The Next Web reports that running app Runkeeper was purchased by sneaker firm Asics. Runkeeper CEO Jason Jacobs wrote: When we look ahead, it seems clear that the fitness brands of the future will not just make physical products, but will be embedded in the consumer journey in ways that will help keep people motivated and … Continue reading Of Sneakers and Software

Under Armour recently premiered a new fitness package called HealthBox, as part of a new chapter in the company’s Connected Health initiative. The package – whose gadgets are manufactured by smartphone maker HTC – includes a wi-if connected scale, sneakers (one shoe contains a little tracking pod), a heart rate chest strap, and a wristband activity … Continue reading Connected Health

There’s an article in this week’s Economist about the cult of the hard-charging, emailing-from-the-treadmill-at-4am CEO. The article also describes the investments that companies have made in on-site fitness centers and coaches: This cult of hyper-performance is nurtured by a growing army of personal trainers and yoga coaches who make their living by fine-tuning and de-stressing business … Continue reading The High End of Fitness

The other day, Spotify sent me my annual year-end recap, where it tallied up the time I spent listening to music (17,000 minutes), and the number of individual tracks I’d listened to: 1,307. Spotify tells me that I’m a big fan of the Rolling Stones (1,038 plays) and Punch Brothers (458). I compared notes with … Continue reading Metrics

The Atlantic has a neat story about the increasing number of marathoners, and the corresponding increase in users of running apps. The apps can help runners find camaraderie with one another, but can also remove running’s stripped-down, essential nature. As a longtime MapMyRun user, I found that the article particularly resonant. Especially the following: “It has a … Continue reading Running with Tech